


words you wrote on my skin

by nyckolodeo_n



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Friends to Lovers, M/M, allusions to liam/louis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-17
Updated: 2015-08-17
Packaged: 2018-04-15 06:33:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4596510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyckolodeo_n/pseuds/nyckolodeo_n
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>When they had applied for college back in high school, it had made sense that they’d applied for the same school, that they’d request to room together those few years ago, that they got their own flat off-campus together their junior year. They had grown up best friends, there for each other since pre-school. Harry was there when Niall’s dad left, and Niall was there when Harry’s died in a drunk driving accident. They were incidentally each other’s first kiss, but were too young and silly for it to really mean anything. They were there for each other through the thick and thin of each other’s relationships, coming out to their families as gay and pansexual respectively, and the ups and downs of the first semester of college. The two had been inseparable all their lives, and Niall’s honestly it took them so long to get to where they are now.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	words you wrote on my skin

**Author's Note:**

> This was written from an idea i found on tumblr [here](http://sebzbarnes.tumblr.com/post/125855066075/booze-dungeon-otpprompts-imagine-person-a) and it was just too cute to pass up. This is a gift to my best friends [Sam](http://niallandharryy.tumblr.com) and [Akilah](http://thejandshirt.tumblr.com) i love them so much.
> 
> i hope you enjoy :) x

Niall doesn’t even really think about it when they’re lying in bed. It had been a really long day for the both of them; Harry had been up since four that morning and had to work a double shift at the bakery since Eleanor had called in due to a stomach bug and Niall had never really been to bed from the night before, cramming for finals and finishing up the last projects for his Music classes. It’s cold, as late in December as it’s quickly getting, so they’re huddled under the blankets as close as they can be in their shared flat. Harry’s head was buried in Niall’s neck, arm draped haphazardly across Niall’s waist as he snored lightly. Niall was too restless, unable to fall asleep with the nervousness in the pit of his stomach, instead half-watching the television and drawing shapes on the curly-haired boy’s arm.

When they had applied for college back in high school, it had made sense that they’d applied for the same school, that they’d request to room together those few years ago, that they got their own flat off-campus together their junior year. They had grown up best friends, there for each other since pre-school. Harry was there when Niall’s dad left, and Niall was there when Harry’s died in a drunk driving accident. They were incidentally each other’s first kiss, but were too young and silly for it to really mean anything. They were there for each other through the thick and thin of each other’s relationships, coming out to their families as gay and pansexual respectively, and the ups and downs of the first semester of college. The two had been inseparable all their lives, and Niall’s honestly it took them so long to get to where they are now.

People had always expected them to be a thing; they were attached at the hip and overly-domestic with each other on an extremely alarming and regular basis. They were always touching in some form or fashion, hands clasped together, knees brushing, arms draped over the other’s shoulder. Niall knew Harry’s coffee order and his favorite ice cream when he was feeling particularly sad around the anniversary of his dad’s death, and was responsible for eighty percent of the wardrobe that Harry owned. Harry knew what pastries Niall would and wouldn’t eat and when to and not to bother him while in his zone working on his music and that the easiest way to cheer Niall up was to take him on a walk through the park and sing horrendous renditions of famous pop songs. They hadn’t thought anything of it, it was how they grew up, what they were used to, and their parents had never made it out like it was abnormal behavior.

They hadn’t actually gotten together until summer before this second to last year of undergrad school. It had been at one of their semi-regular group outing to the park. They were draped over each other on one bench while their friends were laid out and scatter around them. Liam had made an off-hand comment – _‘so why exactly_ aren’t _the two of you together again’ tone way more incredulous and judgmental than it had any right to be considering_ him and Louis– and the two of them had looked each other, as did everyone else, shrugged, and went on about their time with everyone else. The rest of the day had gone on like normal, but Niall had started to notice all the little ticks between them that had caused everyone to come to the conclusions that had been made. That night Niall had asked Harry about it, they’d had a long conversation/semi-argument about if this was the right step to take, and by the time they’d fallen asleep, they’d ‘officially’ become that Couple that everyone had already dubbed them as. Nothing really changed, there was just a label on what they were now. Also their friends were incredibly smug for weeks.

They’d been together going on seven months now, learning each other in new ways through kisses and shared touches in new ways. It had been silly and awkward at first, not quite sure how to cross that barrier that had been set up as best friends, but easily able to get through it after shared giggles and fumbled hand motions.

Harry shuffles a little bit next to him, drawing Niall out of his thoughts, and mumbles nonsense under his breath, unconsciously pulling the blonde impossibly closer. Niall smiles down at him, at the ruffled hair coming out of Harry’s bun and the drool starting to dry on the corner of Harry’s mouth. It makes sense that they’ve finally made it where they are; Harry’s always been Niall’s closest friend and he’s always felt an underlying feeling of love for the curly-haired buy that went past their friendship. Niall’s never admitted it out loud, but it’s how he’s always felt about his now-boyfriend. Harry’s always been the most important person in Niall’s life, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He has plans set in place for graduation; he knows that’s a relatively young age to want to make that kind of commitment to someone, but Niall honestly wouldn’t know what to do if Harry ever left him. He knows it’s a silly thought to have, Harry’s been in Niall’s life for twenty years now, it’s probably not going to change, but he’s allowed to be a little self-conscious.

Niall’s dozing, and on impulse, he stars tracing something different on Harry’s arm, no longer using shapes but letters. He does it very slowly and deliberate, perfectly spacing out between each letter from the _‘I’_ to the ‘ _u’,_ the phrasea permanent etching in Harry’s skin to Niall’s eyes _._ He draws it out as long as he can before his eyes really start to get heavy, the random pictures on the television tiring him out quickly. He presses a kiss into the top of Harry’s head, whispering the words he sketched into the other boy’s arm one more time, before turning over and settling more deeply into the pillows and blankets. Just before he falls asleep, both of Harry’s arms wrap more firmly around his torso and the curly headed boy presses a kiss to the back of Niall’s neck.

“I love you, too,” he says, his voice gravelly and soft with fondness. Niall smiles and links their fingers together and gives them a soft squeeze before he finally dozes off.

_(Harry comes home a week later with the phrase scrawled permanently on his skin, a perfect replication of Niall’s handwriting standing out underneath the plastic wrapped around the fresh tattoo. Niall has never had anything to worry about.)_

**Author's Note:**

> find other things i've written [here](http://sebzbarnes.tumblr.com/my-fics)


End file.
